Many sales departments in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) still operate according to the principle of “everything from a single source.” One (or more) sales employees is responsible for lead generation, qualification, closing negotiations, and often even cold calling. In addition, there are queries about ongoing projects, internal coordination, and organizational tasks. This mix creates a high workload, constant context switching, and thus an increased risk of errors. Information disappears in personal notes or the proverbial “black book” (digital or analog, it doesn’t matter). If one person is absent, there is a lack of transparency and the process stalls—not to mention the company’s external reputation.
Digitalization and changing purchasing behavior are exacerbating these challenges. Modern buyers make most of their decisions before even having their first conversation. Studies show that 70-80% of the purchasing process is already complete on the part of the prospective customer before sales even comes into play (source). Prospective customers compare providers more intensively (keyword: content marketing) and are strongly guided by brand trust. At the same time, they often operate within a predefined decision-making space in which only a few providers are actually considered, 84% of whom are ultimately awarded the contract (source). New, unknown, or invisible providers clearly fall through the cracks—even if the sales department talks a good game (keyword: branding and brand building). Times have changed, and customers have become emancipated.
Companies therefore benefit from structures that reflect this reality (keyword: professional marketing) while simultaneously streamlining the sales process and making it more role-based.
The (new) role model Marketing – Setter – Closer provides a clear framework for this. It divides tasks along the customer journey, creating a sales-oriented process that makes better use of the strengths of the team and departments..
Structured sales: Marketing → Setter → Closer
Marketing creates visibility, builds trust, and generates demand. This includes branding measures as well as performance marketing and push and pull strategies. The task is to create a stable pipeline alongside touchpoints, from which qualifiable leads emerge—marketing qualified leads (MQLs)..
Setters then take over the systematic pre-qualification process. They check requirements, budget, timing, and relevance. Modern AI tools can provide support here: automated pre-qualification processes, transcribed conversations, or structured summaries provide the closer with precise information and increase efficiency and data quality—Sales Qualified Lead (SQL).
Closers (formerly known as classic sales representatives) focus exclusively on closing deals. They conduct the final discussions, clarify any remaining questions, and negotiate terms and conditions. The pre-qualified pipeline significantly increases the closing rate. In addition, resources are saved or directed toward more promising leads.
This structure follows the natural course of the customer journey and prevents expertise and time from being tied up in the wrong places.
Benefits for small and medium-sized enterprises
The division into three roles reduces idle time, creates clear responsibilities, and ensures focused work. Closers only deal with leads who are ready to buy, while marketing and setters filter out unsuitable contacts at an early stage or develop them further through targeted qualification measures (e.g., digital questionnaires, downloads of guides and white papers, or support chats).
A CRM system transparently maps this process:
- Funnel stages become visible. Leads move through the stages step by step, visible to the entire team. Full transparency.
- Bottlenecks in the process can be identified more easily and remedied either technically, structurally, or in terms of personnel.
- Follow-ups run automatically and save resources.
- Information remains centrally available.
This creates a systematic sales process that continues to function even when individual employees are absent or new team members join the team. Or, in the best-case scenario, when new team members are to be hired (keyword: onboarding).
Differentiation from the classic model
The traditional sales image of the “super salesperson” who combines all tasks is hardly viable in complex markets. Generalism—in operational sales—leads to excessive demands, unclear priorities, and a strong dependence on individual persons.
Modern sales structures instead rely on process thinking and a clear distribution of tasks. This often includes an adapted wage structure: those who work closely together in a team and benefit greatly from the input of other roles cannot be evaluated according to outdated commission models. A transition phase with parallel calculation models can provide security and reduce resistance, especially among long-serving sales professionals.
Practical steps for implementation
A structured introduction facilitates implementation:
- First, map out the entire marketing and sales process in writing, regardless of roles—from initial contact via meta ads or a poster in the pedestrian zone to the conclusion of the sale. A mind map or general diagram is recommended here. All steps are clearly named, checked, and can be optimized at a later date—e.g., by using AI for a specific task.
- Then define where marketing, setters, and closers take over.
- Fill roles on a part-time basis on a trial basis when resources are limited.
- Definitely start with a small team and identify initial bottlenecks.
- Establish CRM as a central tool—including automation and clear task assignment.
- Communicate transparently internally that structure relieves pressure and does not control.
Such steps create acceptance and make the new way of working stable in the long term.
Practical experience:
It is crucial that the entire team—including marketing managers, setters, closers, and management—work together to define clear standards for the transfer of information at the interfaces between marketing, setters, and closers. Aspects such as the form, quality, and depth of the information transmitted should be specified. It is also necessary to clarify what data is recorded in the CRM, how detailed the setter’s questions (often a standardized questionnaire) need to be, how thorough the pre-qualification should be, and what quality the leads generated by marketing must have.
These points should (must) be agreed upon by the team and recorded in writing in a strategy paper that serves as a binding basis for all involved. Experience shows that different areas of responsibility and personalities within the team can lead to varying expectations. To avoid frustration, it is therefore essential to define clear and binding processes that are adhered to regardless of individual preferences or daily moods. This ensures that the transfer of information runs smoothly and that everyone involved can work efficiently without making additional special requests or demands.
Specific use cases in small and medium-sized enterprises:
Successors or new owners benefit particularly from this structure. It enables a scalable sales base where tasks can be clearly assigned.
Craft and technical businesses gain professionalism because complex offers are prepared in a structured manner. At the same time, the experience of long-standing salespeople flows back into the team via defined processes. Dependence on individuals decreases, while quality increases. This not only has an impact on direct success, but also on the company’s external image. Customers and prospects feel that they are working with professionals and are not being put off until Mr. Miller returns from his safari in three weeks and no one on the team knows the current status of the project.
Conclusion:
The setter-closer model creates more efficient processes, clear responsibilities, and significantly more stable sales structures. Companies gain a scalable foundation that functions independently of individuals and meets the increasing demands of modern buyers. Medium-sized companies in particular that want to grow or realign themselves benefit from this specialization in sales.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
The setter-closer model is a role-based sales system that divides the process into marketing, lead qualification (setter), and closing the sale (closer). This structure ensures a clear distribution of tasks, greater efficiency, and improved closing rates. Medium-sized companies in particular benefit from a transparent and scalable sales process.
The model reduces idle time, improves data quality, and enables better prioritization of leads. Closers focus on prospects who are ready to buy, setters filter out unsuitable inquiries at an early stage, and marketing creates a stable pipeline. This results in a scalable, measurable, and fail-safe sales process for SMEs.
In traditional sales, one person often takes on all tasks: lead generation, qualification, and closing. This leads to overload and a lack of transparency. The setter-closer model solves these problems through specialization and a clear customer journey structure. CRM systems, automation, and defined handover standards make the process significantly more efficient and less dependent on individuals.
The introduction begins with the complete documentation of the existing sales process. Roles, handover points, and CRM standards are then defined. A small pilot team tests the structure before it is rolled out company-wide. Transparent communication and a clear salary and commission framework facilitate acceptance within the team.
The model is particularly suitable for medium-sized companies with complex offerings, long decision-making processes, or multiple sales participants. Craft businesses, technical companies, agencies, and successors in family businesses benefit particularly. They receive a scalable system that remains stable even during growth or personnel changes and ensures a professional external image.
